Spirituality/Advent
In Advent Grace, members of the Daughters of St. Paul share the fruit of their lectio divina (a prayerful reading of Sacred Scripture). This handy volume contains their insightful reflections on the daily Gospel readings of Advent.
“Their gift and task is to communicate the Gospel message. They are Women of the Word. In these pages the Daughters of St. Paul invite us to be washed in the Word by prayerfully pondering the Sacred Scripture throughout the Advent Season. Speaking from their own experience of prayer, sixteen Sisters skillfully guide us in the simple act of holy reading, readying our hearts for the wonder of Christmas and for Christ’s constant coming throughout the year.” — Michael Downey Professor of Systematic Theology and Spirituality, Saint John’s Seminary, Camarillo; author, The Heart of Hope.
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Contents • ••
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How to Use this Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Liturgical Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 First Week of Advent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Second Week of Advent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Third Week of Advent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Sunday of the Fourth Week of Advent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 December 17 to December 24 December 17 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 December 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 December 19 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 December 20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 December 21 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 December 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 December 23 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 December 24 — Mass in the Morning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
December 25 — Christmas Midnight Mass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 The Octave of Christmas December 26 — Saint Stephen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 December 27 — Saint John the Evangelist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
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December 28 — Holy Innocents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 December 29 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 December 30 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 December 31 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Holy Family — Sunday in the Octave of Christmas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 January 1 — Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 List of Contributors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
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Tuesday of the First Week of Advent • ••
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Lectio Luke 10:21–24
Meditatio “At that very moment he rejoiced….” In the verses that precede this Scripture passage the seventy-two disciples have just returned from their mission. They are rejoicing for all they did in Jesus’ name. At this Jesus tells them they should rejoice because “their names are written in heaven.” Immediately following this we read, “At that very moment he rejoiced [in] the holy Spirit....” Jesus lives in such continuous intimacy with the Father and the Holy Spirit that he does not hesitate to praise God. This is not one of those moments when Jesus goes off to pray by himself. Instead, in the midst of Jesus’ realization of the Father’s work, the Holy Spirit stirs in him and he praises the Father aloud. The author of the Gospel relates that Jesus praises God with the seventy-two gathered around him. The immediacy of his prayer tells us that Jesus is not ashamed to show his intimate relationship with God to those who are gathered there. How would we ever know the level of intimacy in the Trinity 14
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Tuesday of the First Week of Advent
if Jesus had not allowed us to see this moment of prayer? In his own profoundly simple manner, Jesus allows us to glimpse what joy and happiness are. They are by-products of a life lived in communion with God. This moment of intense and spontaneous prayer also reveals to us that we must share the faith we have received. Just as Jesus shares this intimate moment with his disciples and us, we are called to share our faith with our brothers and sisters. Being Christ-like doesn’t mean showing off for others by enumerating the times I pray or do some corporal or spiritual work of mercy—but it does mean living publicly a faithfilled witness. Am I living as Jesus did? Am I living a life of faith in public action or do I keep my faith private and to myself ?
Oratio Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I wish to live in deeper communion with you during this Advent season. I humbly ask for the grace to place my relationship with you at my center so that you may touch and permeate all I say and do. In seeing me, may people truly see you at work in me and give you praise. May I not hesitate to recognize your work in me and in my brothers and sisters, and may I give you praise for it.
Contemplatio Permeate me and mold me, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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Wednesday of the First Week of Advent • ••
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Lectio Matthew 15:29–37
Meditatio “My heart is moved with pity for the crowd.” Today’s Gospel visibly demonstrates Jesus’ compassion in word and action. After days of following the Master, the crowd longs for his presence, his words, and his saving deeds. Jesus also knows the people are hungry! “My heart is moved with pity....” As the Teacher climbs the mountain and sits before the crowd, the suffering of the sick and the needs of the people stirred his heart with pity. His saving touch heals the physically challenged and those who suffered many kinds of sickness. With seven loaves and a few fish, Jesus multiplies the food so the people will not “collapse on the way.” The healing of the sick and the feeding of the four thousand show clearly how profoundly God embraces our human condition in Jesus Christ. The heart of God understands the physical suffering, pain, and weakness we experience! He is not only a God who is “for” us in our need, but who experienced hunger and physical pain in his own flesh. 16
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Wednesday of the First Week of Advent
Perhaps images of Lourdes fill our imagination when we read this Gospel. Men, women, and children who suffer from every kind of physical, emotional, and mental illness seek spiritual and physical healing at Lourdes. Accompanied by caregivers and family members, the sick assemble as the Eucharist is celebrated, received, and adored. Jesus’ heart again “is moved with pity” for them as it was on that mountain in Galilee. Lourdes is a place of hope because the presence of God is so deeply felt in prayer, word, and sacrament. How completely Jesus embraces human weakness is so visible and deeply moving at Lourdes. Jesus never runs away from our pain, sin, or human messiness, but he embraces it in tenderness and mercy. We can bring to our Savior’s compassionate heart whatever weighs us down, wherever we live!
Oratio Jesus, companion and friend, walk with me when I feel I cannot go on. Feed me with your word and the Eucharist so the needs and hungers of my heart will be fed. Bring healing to whatever is sick in me. May my words and actions give hope to those who journey with me and who feel overwhelmed by problems and concerns. Satisfy the hunger of the world’s poor with bread, and the hunger of all people for love and a meaningful life. May the Eucharist be the icon through which I see the needs and hungers of others.
Contemplatio Jesus, you satisfy the hungers of my heart. 17
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Thursday of the First Week of Advent • ••
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Lectio Matthew 7:21, 24–27
Meditatio “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us an important life lesson: nothing happens unless we act. It isn’t enough merely to listen to Jesus. Listening is important, but it’s only the first step. As Scripture says, God’s word is living and active. It prods us into action. It is easier to talk about something than it is to roll up our sleeves and get to work. As long as seeds stay in their packet, they’ll never grow. But plant them and water them, and soon a beautiful garden will grow. Our lives will bear fruit to the extent that we turn our words into deeds. In baptism, we became members of Christ and were filled with the Holy Spirit. We have two choices about what we can do with that divine life given so abundantly. One choice is to let it lie dormant. If we choose that path, we’ll remain perpetual infants in the spiritual life. We’ll be like those seeds that just stay in the packet and never grow into anything. At the end of our life, we’ll say, “Lord, Lord.” But God will ask us what we did with the gift he gave us. 18
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Thursday of the First Week of Advent
There is another choice: to listen to Jesus and then to act on his words. You don’t have to do big things, showy things, things that attract attention. Instead, practice love of God and love of neighbor. Pray every day. Follow the commandments. Do some small act of kindness. Participate in the Sunday Eucharist each week. If you wish to turn your life around spiritually, start with something small. Take some desire that you’ve had about growing spiritually and make it a goal. For example, have you always wanted to read the Bible but been daunted at its sheer size? Of the twenty-seven books in the New Testament, seventeen of them have six chapters or fewer. Try reading those first. Once you get started, you won’t want to stop.
Oratio Lord Jesus, help me to listen to the words you speak to me and to act on them. I want to put my life in your hands, and I trust in your plan for me. In the Gospel, you tell me that if I listen to your words and put them into practice, I will be like those wise persons who build their lives on rock. When the winds of life threaten to blow me down, I will not fear because you are my rock.
Contemplatio “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”
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